Disposable measuring cup



Aug. 14, 1956 M. E. BAUER DISPOSABLE MEASURING CUF Filed Nov. 9, 1954 INVENT OR MILTON El BAUER ,jwvzaz m9 A ATTORNEYS United States Patent DISPOSABLE MEASURING CUP Milton E. Bauer, Westbury, N. Y.

Application November 9, 1954, Serial No. 467,693

'2 Claims. (Cl. 229-15) This invention relates to measuring cups, and more particularly, has reference to a measuring cup which is wholly disposable, thus to permit it to be discarded after a single use thereof.

Conventionally, measuring cups are formed of glass, plastic, or the like, and are not disposable. As a result, when making a cake, pie, or the like, the housewife must measure out a number of different ingredients in the same cup, it being uncommon for the housewife to have more than one or possibly two of said cups. The result is that the housewife must have a number of other bowls to hold the measured items until she can combine them in their proper sequence in a suitable mixture. This results in a number of bowls which must be cleaned, with an attendant inconvenience and annoyance so far as the housewife is concerned.

In view of the difficulties which have heretofore existed, it is an important object of the present invention to provide disposable measuring cups, a number of which can be used during the baking of a cake, pie, etc., with each cup holding a different measured item. By reason of this arrangement, after the several items have been removed from the cups in which they were measured, the cups can all be disposed of, reducing the number of utensils which have to be cleaned to no more than a single bowl in which the ingredients are combined.

Another object of importance is to so design the disposable cup as to permit the same to be opened into a substantially flat shape, thus to facilitate the removal of solids or semi-solids therefrom.

A further object of importance is to provide a disposable measuring cup which can be sold as one of a set, with the several cups of the set being of different sizes, to permit their being conveniently nested in a compact package.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawing, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a measuring cup formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is an enlarged detail sectional view substantially on line 2-2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure l showing the cup partially open; and

Figure 4 is a plan view of the cup fully opened or attened.

The reference numeral has been applied generally in the several figures of the drawing to a measuring cup formed in accordance with the present invention, the cup including a pleated side wall 12 and a at bottom 14, integrally formed from a blank of waxed paper or paper otherwise rendered at least temporarily waterproof.

Upon the upper edge of the side wall 12 there is 2,758,771 Ice Patented Aug. 14,1956- formed an outwardly directed, continuous bead 16 extendingthrough the full circumference of the cup; At diametrically opposite locations upon said bead, there are integrally formed outwardly and downwardly inclined tabs 18 providing handles that can be gripped in the manner shown in Figure 3, for the purpose of exerting pull outwardly upon the cup in a radial direction, to flatten out the cup to the shape shown in Figure 4. The respective handles 18 are each reversely folded at their inner ends, each tab or handle first being folded inwardly as at 20 and then being folded outwardly as at 22 within the hollow bead 16, each tab then being folded outwardly at the inside of the bead as at 24, thus to provide upon each handle a reinforced, folded portion within the bead. By reason of this arrangement, when the tabs or handles 18 are grasped, and pull is exerted outwardly thereupon, the several folds 20, 22, 24 will be pulled out in following order, to increase the length of the tab. Ordinarily, the tab is so short as to be scarcely noticeable beneath the bead, thereto to facilitate nesting and packaging of the cups. However, when the tabs are unfolded, they become of substantial length, thereby to provide means capable of being grasped between the thumb and index finger of each hand when the cup is to be flattened out.

In use, the cup is lled to the necessary extent with the selected ingredients, the interior of the cup being marked with suitable indicia as at 26 to designate the quantity being measured. Thereafter, should the ingredient be not readily removable from the cup, as for example when the ingredient is a semi-solid, the cup is flattened out as shown in Figures 3 and 4, and the ingredient is readily scraped therefrom into a suitable mixing bowl.

A different cup is thus used for each separate ingredient so that all the ingredients can be pre-measured, before mixing of any of them together. Thereafter, as the ingredients are mixed in a single bowl all the cups can be disposed of, reducing the number of bowls or utensils that need to be cleaned.

In a commercial embodiment, the cups would be made in different sizes, and may also be in distinctive colors. They would be so constructed as to permit them to nest within another, and a single package might contain fifteen measuring cups, with perhaps three cups in each of five different sizes.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necesarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A measuring cup formed of a readily disposable material, said cup including a pleated side wall having an outwardly extending upper edge formed as a continuous bead, and pleated tabs integral with the upper edge of said side wall and extending from the same, each tab being reversely folded within the bead to include superposed folded portions within the bead, whereby when a pull is exerted radially outwardly upon the tab the side wall is flattened.

2. A measuring cup comprising a single piece of a readily disposable, liexible material having a at bottom and a side wall pleated throughout its circumference, said side wall having an outwardly extending upper edge formed as a continuous bead, and pleated tabs integrally formed upon and extending from said bead at diametrical- 1y opposite locations, said tabs having inner end portions folded inside the bead, said folds being adapted to be opened responsive to pull exerted upon the tabs radially and outwardly of the body when said pleats are to be opened for attening of the body, thus to elongate the tabs and facilitate the grasping thereof by a user.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Crimmel Dec. 8, 1925 Huff July 18, 1933 OBrien Oct. 1l, 1938 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada Dec. 25, 1951 

